Report: 340M Americans’ Personal Data Leaked

(Photo Credit: Luis Gomes/Pexels)

 

Cybersecurity expert says the information was on a publicly accessible server.

According to a new report, a data leak of personal information has far surpassed the Equifax leaks, and could affect nearly every American.

According to WIRED magazine, cybersecurity expert Vinny Troia has discovered that the Palm Coast, Fla., based data broker Exactis exposed a database with the personal data of 340 million individual accounts onto a publicly accessible server. Anyone who knew which server to look at had immediate access to nearly 2 terabytes of personal data—including the following from an estimated 340 million people and businesses:

Chinese spyware found on 700 million Android phones

Chinese-authored spyware that can be used to track a user’s movements and communications has been found on some 700 million Android smartphones, security researchers said.

The spyware, discovered by Virginia-based Kryptowire, was reportedly authored by Chinese startup Shanghai Adups Technology Company.

U.S. counterintelligence chief skeptical China has curbed spying on U.S.

U.S. counterintelligence chief Bill Evanina said on Wednesday he was skeptical China had followed through on recent promises to curb spying on the United States.

Evanina told a briefing that he had seen “no indication” from the U.S. private sector “that anything has changed” in the extent of Chinese espionage on the United States.

Ex-CIA director: U.S. wide open to grid attack

How many times can a nation be warned, yet still do next to nothing to neutralize the threat, before an attack or natural disaster actually happens? For more on the SCADA systems, see HERE and HERE. Imagine, for example, Russian or Chinese hackers being able to control dosage levels of medications for patients in America, without America knowing. The threat is real.

 

A former CIA director says the Obama administration hasn’t done nearly enough to protect the nation from attacks to America’s information and critical infrastructure systems.

“The president has to put this first on his list because we are very vulnerable, and we will stay vulnerable until some key things get fixed. So far, I have not seen anywhere near enough commitment from the White House or any place else in getting this done,” said R. James Woolsey, who served as director of the Central Intelligence in the Clinton administration. Woolsey is now chairman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Massive cyber attack hits US federal workers, probe focuses on China

To put this in perspective, roughly 95% of federal employees have been hit.

 

Washington: Hackers broke into US government computers, possibly compromising the personal data of 4 million current and former federal employees, with investigators probing whether the culprits were based in China, US officials said.

In the latest in a string of intrusions into US agencies’ high-tech systems, the US Office of Personnel Management suffered what appeared to be one of the largest breaches of information ever on government workers. The office handles employee records and security clearances.

Leaked TISA Documents Reveal Privacy Threat

Under the draft provisions of the latest trade deal to be leaked by Wikileaks, countries could be barred from trying to control where their citizens’ personal data is held or whether it’s accessible from outside the country.

Wikileaks has released 17 documents relating to the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), currently under negotiation between the US, the European Union and 23 other nations. These negotiating texts are supposed to remain secret for five years after TISA is finalized and brought into force.

Sources: IRS believes massive data theft originated in Russia

Washington (CNN) The IRS believes that a major cyber breach that allowed criminals to steal the tax returns of more than 100,000 people originated in Russia, two sources briefed on the data theft tell CNN.

On Tuesday, the Internal Revenue Service announced that organized crime syndicates used personal data obtained elsewhere to access tax information, which they then used to file $50 million in fraudulent tax refunds.

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An IRS spokeswoman said the agency does not discuss ongoing investigations.

Kremlin to consider plans which could remove Russia from global Internet ‘in an emergency’

In this article we see Putin shielding Russia from any Western cyber retaliation. The question here is: Is preparing for a likely retaliation after his next move? This isn’t only about an oppressive government reaching for more control over its citizens. Meanwhile, what has the United States done to shield itself from cyber attacks or other vulnerabilities? Next to nothing. Matter of fact, Barack Obama in a power grab forced the internet in America to be under government control by declaring it a ‘public utility.’

 

Russia may remove itself from the global Internet to protect itself against perceived threats from the West, a Kremlin spokesman suggested on Friday.

The Krelmin dismissed accusations it aims to isolate the Russian Internet, and insists it is merely concerned with protecting its national security – particularly as relations with the West have reached their lowest since the Cold War.

However, the country has recently passed several laws targeting Internet use, which include making popular bloggers register as media outlets, and forcing websites to store the personal data of Russian users.

Hack an airplane? Researchers reveal new security concerns

Upcoming hacking conferences shine a light on the state of cybersecurity. Researchers will present hacking risks with USB drives and fitness trackers, and aircraft systems via in-flight Wi-Fi.